Jacob van Liesvelt

Printer's device of Jacob van Liesvelt, used in a publication of c. 1543 Jacob van Liesvelt or Jacob van Liesveldt (Antwerp, c. 1489, – Antwerp, 28 November 1545), was a Flemish printer, publisher and bookseller. His printing press put out publications in a wide range of genres, including poetry by Anna Bijns, Roman Catholic literature such as an anti-heresy decree, and publications that conflicted with Catholic teachings. He published the first complete Dutch translation of the Bible in 1526, largely based on Martin Luther's translation. He was eventually executed for publishing unauthorised versions of the Bible.

Life Jacob van Liesvelt was born around 1489 in Antwerp as the son of the printer Adriaen van Liesvelt. He followed in his father's footsteps and started on his own as a printer and bookseller in 1513. He was registered as a master printer in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp in 1536. His printing business was located originally at the Lombaerdeveste. Later he moved his business to the building called 'In the Schilt of Artoys' on the Cammerpoortbrugghe, where he operated from 1523 to 1544.

Liesvelt collaborated on many of his publications with other printers such as Claes de Grave, Symon Cock, Hendrick Peetersen van Middelburch, and Marc Martens. In 1526, he printed the first Bible in Dutch. As he relied for this publication on the German translation of the New Testament made by Martin Luther he got into trouble with the authorities for engaging in 'heretical behavior'. In 1528, Liesvelt was the editor and printer of the Flemish poet Anna Bijns' first published work. This was an important publication in Dutch-language literature, and established Anna Bijns' reputation as a leading poet of her generation.

Van Liesvelt married Maria or Marie Ancxt (or Ancxten). The couple had three children, one of whom, Hans, later also became a printer and publisher. When in 1545 the persecution of heretics reached its peak, the bailiff of Antwerp charged van Liesvelt and had him arrested. The exact cause or reason of the prosecution or nature of the accusation is not entirely clear. For a long time it was assumed that the woodcut from chapter 4 of Matthew was at the basis of his problems. It depicts the scene in which Jesus is tempted by the Devil in the wilderness. The Devil is depicted as a bearded monk with bearded monk goat's feet, wearing a robe and holding a rosary. Many regarded this print as a sarcastic indictment of the clergy who were often blamed for hypocrisy. However, the Bible states about the apostle Paul that the Devil pretends to be an 'angel of light' (2 Corinthians 11:14). From this point of view, the woodcut could have been a reference to this verse and should not be the basis for any suspicion of heresy. In fact, the same woodcut was later used in authorised Catholic Bibles.

Their son Hans van Liesvelt, also called Hans II, was still a minor when his father died. It is therefore likely that in the initial period he was only a minor assistant to his mother. In 1553 he published a New Testament with his mother. After that he became known as the publisher of almanacs, devotion books and a geographic map. It was thus the most Lutheran edition as it followed Luther's editions closely and included a short prologue that was an excerpt of Luther's prologue to his 1523 edition of the Pentateuch. After that edition, Liesvelt hardly made any changes to his editions. The last and sixth edition appeared in 1542.